Garment-stay



(No Model.)

w. www/W w w Vu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID GROTTA, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNEOTICUT.

GARM ENT-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 478,961, dated July 12, 1892.

Application filecl January 11, 1892. Serial No. 417,624:I (No model.)

To all whom it may concrn:

Be it known that I, DAVID GRoT'rA, of the city and county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment-Stays, of which the followingis a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a new and improved form of stay for corsets,rwaists, and other garments.

The essential object of the invention is to produce a stay of unusual fiexibility and strength-one practically unbreakable, yet having the requisite elasticity or resiliencyand at a moderate cost.

I am aware that compound or built-up stays have been proposed heretofore, and particularly such as are made by inclosing in pockets or sheaths of fabric blades or strands of a resilient substance, by binding together side by side two or more of such strands, with a cord or fabric surrounding the same, as also by uniting face to face strips of fabric which inclose and are cemented or otherwise permanently secured to and along the length of a single blade of metal or other similar resilient or elastic material. All such constructions of stays of which I am aware are lackin gin respect of not having the peculiar kind of combined strength and elasticity desired for a garmentstay and which is possible of a stay composed of a fabric and resilient strand or blade combined in accordance with-my improvement. Thus I have ascertained that the best results are attained when a fabric and a resilient strand are combined face to face or side by side and are united at points separated by short intervals by a cord or thread passing over the strand and through the fabric, the fabric lying fiat or at least (and particularly) not surrounding the strand or holding or binding the same except through the thread holding the strand to the fabric.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows one face of a section of a stay embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows the reverse side of the stay. Fig. 3 illustrates a modification of the forms of Figs. 1 and 2.

In the views, A represents a ribbon or strip of fabric which may be of one or more thicknesses.

B is a strand or blade of resilient material.

Preferably such strand consists of cane or rattan; but strands or blades of other substances sucl1 as whalebone, featherbone, horn, and the likemay be used.

O indicates a cord or thread by which the strand B is held to the face of the fabric. The strand, in desired shape and size, is laid fiat upon the fabric strip, which also is fiat, or substantially so, and while held in position is bound to the face of the fabric by the cord or thread, which thread is passed over the strand and down through the fabric at each side of the strand, the ends of the thread being secured in any proper way. Another threadloop is passed over the strip and through the fabric close to the first loop, and so on until the strip is bound to the fabric by a series of separate loops or stitches, which engage the fabric along opposite sides of the strand. Preferably the loops will be continuous one from another, being made by a sewing-machine adapted to do such Work, in which case the stitches may run diagonally across the strand, as shown in the drawings, though other forms of stitches that serve the same purpose are obvious.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I show a resilient strand arranged on one side Vof the ribbon or strip of fabric; but when it is desired to make a stiffer or Stronger stay a strand may be secured to each side of the fabric strip, as seen in Fig. 3. Figs. 1 and 2 also show a wide fabric strip. This form of stay is especially adapted to being secured directly to garments, the edges of the fabric strip being stitched thereto in the usual manner.

In Fig. 3 the fabric strip is but little wider than the resilient strand, and this form of stay is adapted to being inserted in pockets or sheaths formed in the corset or garment in which it is to be employed.

It is to be part-icularly noticed that in this stay the resilient strand in bending can move or slide on the face of the fabric strip, being adj ustably held th ereto at close intervals only by the series of thread stitches orloops. From this construction results all the strength and stiffness to be had from the combined fabric and resilient strand, especially since for this purpose they are united together at close intervals throughout their length; also, all possible elasticity is availed of by reason of the IOO strand being flexibly or adjustably secured along its length to the fabric strip, as contradistinguished from being fixedly connected, as by cement or by a binding-thread passing through the strand or otherwise positively engagingit and the fabrio strip. At the same time this peculiar union of the fabl'ic and strip makes them to reinforce each other in such way that abrnpt defieotions or sharp bends are not likely to cause breaking of the strip, While the strip can be bent in any desired dil'ection, it being nniversally fiexible in this respect.

Vhat is claimed as new is- As an improved article of manufacture, a

DAVID GROTTA.

N'Vtnesses:

SIEG-WART SPIER, AUG. HAMMER, SR. 

